Mirrodin Frequently Asked Questions

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

The first section ("General Notes") explains the new mechanics and concepts in the set. The second section ("Card-Specific Notes") contains answers to the most important questions players might ask about a given card.

Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" section include full rules text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed.

general

GENERAL NOTES

Equipment

Artifacts that have the subtype "Equipment" are a special kind of artifact. Generally, an Equipment doesn't do anything unless it's attached to a creature.

Equipment works in much the same way as local enchantments, but there are some important differences. The biggest differences are (1) an Equipment doesn't equip anything when it comes into play, and (2) an Equipment stays in play when the creature it's equipping leaves play.

The official rules for Equipment are as follows:

212.2g Some artifacts have the subtype "Equipment." An Equipment can be attached to a creature. It can't legally be attached to an object that isn't a creature.

212.2h An Equipment is played and comes into play just like any other artifact. An Equipment doesn't come into play attached to a creature. The equip keyword ability moves the Equipment onto a creature you control (see rule 502.33, "Equip"). Control of the creature matters only when the equip ability is played and resolved.

212.2i An Equipment that's also a creature can't equip a creature. Equipment that loses the subtype "Equipment" can't equip a creature. An Equipment can't equip itself. An Equipment that equips an illegal or nonexistent permanent stops equipping that permanent, but remains in play. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

212.2j The creature an Equipment is attached to is called the "equipped creature." The Equipment is attached to, or "equips," that creature.

212.2k An Equipment's controller is separate from the equipped creature's controller; the two need not be the same. Changing control of the creature doesn't change control of the Equipment, and vice versa. Only the Equipment's controller can play its abilities. However, if the Equipment adds an ability to the equipped creature (with "gains" or "has"), the equipped creature's controller is the only one who can play that ability.

The official rules for the equip ability are as follows:

502.33. Equip

502.33a Equip is an activated ability of artifact Equipment cards. The phrase "Equip [cost]" means "[cost]: Move this Equipment onto target creature you control. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery."

502.33b For more information about Equipment, see rule 212.2, "Artifacts."

502.33c If an artifact has multiple instances of equip, any of its equip abilities may be used.

The following rule has been added the protection ability:

502.7d A permanent with protection can't be equipped by Equipment that have the stated quality. Such an Equipment stops equipping that permanent, but remains in play. (See rule 420, "State-Based Effects.")

Several other rules have been modified to cover Equipment cards; those rules are not listed here.

Bonesplitter1 Artifact -- Equipment Equipped creature gets +2/+0. Equip 1(1: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery. This card comes into play unattached and stays in play if the creature leaves play.)

Equipment spells aren't targeted. An Equipment comes into play just like any other artifact -- it doesn't equip anything until you play its equip ability.

Each Equipment has the "equip" ability. This ability allows the Equipment to be moved onto a creature, and moved from one creature to another. The equip ability can target only a creature you control.

Equipment can be attached only to creatures.

An Equipment that's also a creature or that loses the subtype Equipment can't be attached to a creature.

An Equipment that equips an illegal or nonexistent permanent stops equipping that permanent, but remains in play. This is different from how local enchantments work (a local enchantment that's not enchanting a legal permanent is put into the graveyard).

If an Equipment is being moved (attached) to a creature and the creature it's moving (being attached) to can't be equipped, the Equipment stays where it is. If the Equipment was attached to a creature when the equip ability was played, the Equipment doesn't become unattached. (In this case, an Equipment works in the same way as a local enchantment.)

Affinity

The official rules for the affinity ability are as follows:

502.31. Affinity

502.31a Affinity is a static ability that functions while the card is on the stack. "Affinity for [text]" means "This spell costs you 1 less to play for each [text] you control."

502.31b The affinity ability reduces only generic mana costs; it doesn't reduce how much colored mana you have to pay for a spell. Affinity can't reduce the cost to play a spell to less than 0.

502.31c If a spell has multiple instances of affinity, each of them applies.

Frogmite4 Artifact Creature 2/2 Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.)

The affinity ability reduces only the amount of generic mana you pay. It can't reduce how much colored mana you pay.

Affinity can't reduce the cost to play a spell to less than 0.

Affinity doesn't change the spell's mana cost or converted mana cost. It just changes how much mana you pay to play the spell.

Suppose you control five artifacts. A spell with a mana cost of 6UU and affinity for artifacts would cost you 1UU to play. A spell with a mana cost of 4 and affinity for artifacts would cost 0 to play.

The cost reduction is set before you have to pay any costs for the spell. If you sacrifice an artifact while paying the spell's costs, that artifact still counts toward the cost reduction.

Entwine

Spells with the entwine ability are modal spells (that is, they say "Choose one --"). Normally, you can choose only one of a spell's modes (a mode is one of the abilities listed after "Choose one --"). If you pay the entwine cost, you choose *all* modes. The official rules for the entwine ability are as follows:

502.32. Entwine

502.32a Entwine is a static ability that functions while the card is on the stack. The phrase "Entwine [cost]" means "You may choose to use all modes of this spell instead of just one. If you do, you pay an additional [cost]." Using the entwine ability follows the rules for choosing modes and paying additional costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f-h.

502.32b If the entwine cost was paid, follow the text of each of the modes in the order written on the card when the spell resolves.

Betrayal of Flesh5B Instant Choose one -- Destroy target creature; or return target creature card from your graveyard to play. Entwine--Sacrifice three lands. (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

You decide whether you're paying the entwine cost as you play the spell.

If you choose not to pay the entwine cost, you can choose only one mode. If you choose to pay the entwine cost, you choose both modes.

If you pay the entwine cost, choose targets for both modes as you play the spell. When the spell resolves, follow the instructions in the order they're written.

For all modal spells that don't have entwine, you can choose only one mode. Only the entwine ability allows you to choose more than one mode.

Imprint

A card with the imprint ability removes other cards from the game and then uses the imprinted cards' characteristics to power its other abilities. The official rules for the imprint ability are as follows:

502.34. Imprint

502.34a Imprint is a static ability, written "Imprint -- [text]." The phrase "Imprint -- [ability]" means "As long as a card removed from the game by this ability remains in the removed-from-game zone, that card is imprinted on this permanent."

502.34b The phrase "imprinted [type] card" means the card of that type that's currently imprinted on the permanent. If a permanent has more than one card of that type imprinted on it, each of those cards is an "imprinted [type] card."

Chrome Mox0 Artifact Imprint -- When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.)T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

Most imprint abilities, such as the one on Chrome Mox, are optional. Some imprint abilities don't use "you may"; these abilities are not optional.

The imprinted cards are in the removed-from-the-game zone.

If a permanent has no imprinted card, its abilities that refer to an imprinted card do nothing.

If an imprinted card is returned to the game (with a Wish from the Judgment set, for example), the imprint ability loses track of it and that card is no longer imprinted.

Many abilities of permanents with imprint refer to the type of the imprinted card. These abilities don't work if the imprinted card is of the wrong type.

Artifact Lands

A cycle of five cards in the Mirrodin set have the types artifact and land: Ancient Den, Great Furnace, Seat of the Synod, Tree of Tales, and Vault of Whispers. An artifact land is treated in all zones (including the in-play zone) both as an artifact and as a land.

You can pay either of the costs to play an ability that has two different costs, separated by "or." For these Mirrodin cards, the options are to pay three colorless mana and tap the artifact, or pay one mana of the appropriate color and tap the artifact.

cardspecific

CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Altar of Shadows7 Artifact At the beginning of your precombat main phase, add B to your mana pool for each charge counter on Altar of Shadows.7, T: Destroy target creature. Then put a charge counter on Altar of Shadows.

You put the counter on Altar of Shadows even if the creature regenerates.

The "precombat main phase" is the first main phase of the turn. All other main phases are "postcombat main phases."

Banshee's Blade2 Artifact -- Equipment Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each charge counter on Banshee's Blade. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, put a charge counter on this card. Equip 2 (2: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery. This card comes into play unattached and stays in play if the creature leaves play.)

The counters stay on Banshee's Blade even if it becomes unattached, or moves from one creature to another.

Blinkmoth Urn5 Artifact At the beginning of each player's precombat main phase, if Blinkmoth Urn is untapped, that player adds 1 to his or her mana pool for each artifact he or she controls.

The "precombat main phase" is the first main phase of the turn. All other main phases are "postcombat main phases."

Chalice of the VoidXX Artifact Chalice of the Void comes into play with X charge counters on it. Whenever a player plays a spell with converted mana cost equal to the number of charge counters on Chalice of the Void, counter that spell.

A mana cost of XX means that you pay twice X. If you want X to be 3, you pay six mana to play Chalice of the Void.

The number of counters on Chalice of the Void matters only at the time the spell is played. Changing the number of charge counters on Chalice of the Void after a spell has been played won't change whether the ability counters the spell. If the Chalice had the correct number of counters when the spell was played, it counters the spell. If the Chalice had too many or too few counters when the spell was played, the Chalice's ability didn't trigger.

If there are zero charge counters on Chalice of the Void, it counters each spell with a converted mana cost of 0.

Chalice of the Void has to be in play at the end of playing a spell for the ability to trigger. If you sacrifice Chalice of the Void as a cost to play a spell, its ability can't trigger.

Chrome Mox0 Artifact Imprint -- When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.)T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

If no card is imprinted on Chrome Mox, the Mox can't add mana to your mana pool. It can't add colorless mana to your mana pool.

If you imprinted a multicolored card, you choose one of that card's colors each time the Mox's ability resolves.

Confusion in the Ranks3RR Enchantment Whenever an artifact, creature, or enchantment comes into play, its controller chooses target permanent another player controls that shares a type with it. Exchange control of those permanents.

The permanents have to share a permanent type both when the target is chosen and when the ability resolves.

Even though Confusion in the Ranks triggers only when an artifact, creature, or enchantment comes into play, the ability can target a land if the permanent coming into play is an artifact land.

The permanents are exchanged only if they're both in play when the ability resolves.

Be sure to keep track of which player owns which permanents.

Confusion in the Ranks triggers on itself coming into play. If an opponent controls an enchantment, exchange Confusion in the Ranks for that enchantment.

Culling Scales3 Artifact At the beginning of your upkeep, destroy target nonland permanent with the lowest converted mana cost among nonland permanents in play. (If two or more permanents are tied for lowest cost, target any one of them.)

You choose the target. If there's more than one nonland permanent tied for lowest converted mana cost, you choose which one to target.

If the targeted permanent doesn't have the lowest converted mana cost when the ability resolves, the ability is countered and the permanent isn't destroyed.

Most tokens have a converted mana cost of 0. A token that's a copy of another permanent or card has a converted mana cost equal to that permanent or card's converted mana cost. See also "Soul Foundry."

If the lowest converted mana cost is 3, Culling Scales can destroy itself.

DisarmU Instant Unattach all Equipment from target creature.

The Equipment remains in play under its controller's control, but is no longer attached to that creature.

The enchanted permanent must be both an artifact and a creature. Domineer can be played only on an artifact creature. Domineer "falls off" and is put into the graveyard if the artifact creature it's enchanting stops being an artifact or stops being a creature.

An "enchant artifact creature" is affected by anything that affects "enchant creatures" (such as the Onslaught set's Piety Charm and the Judgment set's Nomad Mythmaker) and by anything that affects "enchant artifacts."

Duplicant6 Artifact Creature -- Shapeshifter 2/4 Imprint -- When Duplicant comes into play, you may remove target nontoken creature from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) As long as a creature card is imprinted on Duplicant, Duplicant has that card's power, toughness, and creature types. It's still a Shapeshifter.

If no creature card is imprinted on Duplicant, it has its normal power, toughness, and creature types.

Duplicant's power and toughness change to the imprinted card's power and toughness. Counters and other effects that change Duplicant's power and toughness still apply.

If the imprinted card has a "*" in its power or toughness, the value of * is 0.

Duplicant keeps all creature types it had when the card was imprinted, including any types that Duplicant had gained.

Setting up the regeneration shield doesn't remove Duskworker from combat. However, Duskworker is removed from combat if it would be destroyed and then regenerates.

Farsight Mask5 Artifact Whenever a source an opponent controls deals damage to you, if Farsight Mask is untapped, you may draw a card.

This triggers each time a source an opponent controls deals damage to you. If the same source deals damage more than once in a turn, it triggers for each of those times.

You draw no more than one card each time a source an opponent controls damages you, no matter how much damage the source deals.

Farsight Mask must be untapped both when the damage is dealt and when you would draw the card.

Each instance of each creature's combat damage is counted separately. If three creatures with double strike attack you and all of them are unblocked, you may draw up to six cards.

Fatespinner1UU Creature -- Human Wizard 1/2 At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player chooses draw step, main phase, or combat phase. The player skips each instance of the chosen step or phase this turn.

That opponent skips only the phases or steps that are chosen.

If there are multiple phases with the same name in the turn, your opponent skips them all. This is true even if a new step or phase is added to the turn after the ability resolves.

If more than one Fatespinner affects you at the start of your upkeep, you can choose the same step or phase for each one.

Fiery Gambit2R Sorcery Flip a coin until you lose a flip or choose to stop flipping. If you lose a flip, Fiery Gambit has no effect. If you win one or more flips, Fiery Gambit deals 3 damage to target creature. If you win two or more flips, Fiery Gambit deals 6 damage to each opponent. If you win three or more flips, draw nine cards and untap all lands you control.

You must choose a target creature when you play Fiery Gambit. If that target isn't legal on resolution, Fiery Gambit has no effect and you don't even flip a coin.

You can flip any number of coins (you can even flip more than three), but Fiery Gambit has no effect if you lose any of the flips. You can't continue flipping if you lose a flip.

If you win three flips, Fiery Gambit deals 3 damage to the target creature and 6 damage to each opponent, and you draw nine cards and untap all lands you control.

The artifact's converted mana cost must be exactly equal to the amount of mana in your mana pool when the ability resolves. If there's less mana or more mana, the artifact won't be destroyed.

The mana has to be in your mana pool before the ability resolves. The ability doesn't allow you to play mana abilities while it's resolving.

Grab the Reins3R Instant Choose one -- Until end of turn, you gain control of target creature and it gains haste; or sacrifice a creature, then Grab the Reins deals damage equal to that creature's power to target creature or player. Entwine 2R(Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

If you pay the entwine cost, you can sacrifice the creature you gain control of with Grab the Reins.

If you choose the "sacrifice a creature" mode, you must sacrifice a creature when Grab the Reins resolves, even if you don't want to. If you don't control any creatures at that time, Grab the Reins deals no damage.

Grid Monitor4 Artifact Creature 4/6 You can't play creature spells.

You can't play creature spells or artifact creature spells.

You can still put creature cards into play or create creature tokens.

Isochron Scepter2 Artifact Imprint -- When Isochron Scepter comes into play, you may remove an instant card with converted mana cost 2 or less in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.)2, T: You may copy the imprinted instant card and play the copy without paying its mana cost.

Isochron Scepter's second ability creates a copy of the imprinted card in the removed-from-game zone (that's where the imprinted instant card is), then allows you to play it without paying its mana cost.

You play the copy while this ability is resolving, and still on the stack. Normally, you're not allowed to play spells and abilities at this time. Isochron Scepter's ability breaks this rule.

You don't pay the spell's mana cost. If the spell has X in its mana cost, X is 0. You do pay any additional costs for that spell. You can't use any alternative costs.

If the copied card is a split card, you may choose to play either side of the split card, but not both. (The split cards Fire/Ice, Illusion/Reality, Night/Day, Stand/Deliver, and Wax/Wane all have at least one side with converted mana cost 2 or less.)

You can't play the copy if an effect prevents you from playing instants or from playing that particular instant.

You can't play the copy unless all of its targets can be chosen.

If you don't want to play the copy, you can choose not to; the copy ceases to exist the next time state-based effects are checked.

Jinxed Choker3 Artifact At the end of your turn, target opponent gains control of Jinxed Choker and puts a charge counter on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, Jinxed Choker deals damage to you equal to the number of charge counters on it.3: Put a charge counter on Jinxed Choker or remove one from it.

"You" is always Jinxed Choker's current controller.

If you play Jinxed Choker's activated ability, you choose to either add or remove a counter when the ability resolves.

Liar's Pendulum1 Artifact2, T: Name a card. Target opponent guesses whether a card with that name is in your hand. You may reveal your hand. If you do and your opponent guessed wrong, draw a card.

First you name a card. Then the targeted opponent guesses whether the card is in your hand.

After the opponent has guessed, you may reveal your hand. If your opponent was wrong, you draw a card. If your opponent was right, you don't draw a card.

You reveal your hand only if you choose to, regardless of whether your opponent guessed right or wrong.

You can't draw a card if you don't reveal your hand.

March of the Machines3U Enchantment Each noncreature artifact is an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its converted mana cost. (Equipment that's a creature can't equip a creature.)

If a noncreature artifact is also a land, it's still a land in addition to being an artifact creature. If a noncreature artifact is also an enchantment, it's still an enchantment in addition to being an artifact creature.

If an Equipment becomes a creature, it can no longer equip a creature. If it's currently attached to a creature, it becomes unattached (but remains in play). You can play the Equipment's equip ability, but it won't do anything.

The five artifact lands each have a converted mana cost of 0. March of the Machines makes them 0/0 creatures, which are put into the graveyard as a state-based effect.

Mesmeric Orb2 Artifact Whenever a permanent becomes untapped, that permanent's controller puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

If ten permanents you control untap, Mesmeric Orb's effect puts the top ten cards of your library into your graveyard.

Mesmeric Orb triggers once for each permanent that untaps, so the cards are put into your graveyard one at a time. The Scourge card Stifle can only prevent one card from being put into your graveyard.

Mindslaver6 Legendary Artifact4, T, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player's next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for the player. He or she doesn't lose life because of mana burn.)

You can see everything that player can see but you normally could not. This includes that player's hand, face-down creatures, and any cards in his or her library that he or she looks at.

You control the entire turn, from the untap step to the cleanup step. The other player doesn't lose life because of mana burn at any time during that turn.

You could gain control of your own turn using Mindslaver, but gaining control of your own turn doesn't really do anything and you can still lose life to mana burn.

You don't control any of the other player's permanents, spells, or abilities.

You can't make the other player concede. A player can choose to concede at any time.

You get to make every decision the other player would have made during that turn. You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices -- you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can spend mana in the player's mana pool only on that player's spells and abilities. The mana in your mana pool can be spent only on your spells and abilities.

You choose which spells the other player plays, and make all decisions as those spells are played and when they resolve. For example, you choose the target for that player's Shock, and what card that player gets with Diabolic Tutor.

You choose which activated abilities the other player plays, and make all decisions as those abilities are played and when they resolve. For example, you can have your opponent sacrifice his or her creatures to his or her Nantuko Husk or have your opponent's Timberwatch Elf give your blocking creature +X/+X.

You make all decisions for the other player's triggered abilities, including what they target and any decisions made when they resolve.

You choose which creatures attack and how those attacking creatures assign their combat damage.

You also make choices for your own permanents, spells, and abilities as usual.

You can't make any decisions that aren't called for or allowed by the game rules, or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on.

If you make another player play Shahrazad, you don't control any of that player's turns in the subgame, but you continue to control the current turn once the subgame is completed.

The following section has been added to the Magic Comprehensive Rules to cover Mindslaver:

507. Controlling Another Player's Turn

507.1. One card (Mindslaver) allows a player's turn to be controlled by another player. This effect applies to the next turn that the affected player actually takes. The entire turn is controlled; the effect doesn't end until the beginning of the next turn.

507.1a Multiple turn-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works.

507.1b If a turn is skipped, any pending turn-controlling effects wait until the player who would be affected actually takes a turn.

507.1c Only the control of the turn changes. All objects are controlled by their normal controllers.

507.2. If information about an object would be visible to the player whose turn is controlled, it's visible to both that player and the controller of the turn. Example: The controller of a player's turn can see that player's hand and the identity of any face-down creatures he or she controls.

507.3. The controller of another player's turn makes all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make during that turn by the rules or by any objects. This includes choices and decisions about what to play, and choices and decisions called for by spells and abilities. Example: The controller of the turn decides which spells to play and what those spells target, and makes any required decisions when those spells resolve. Example: The controller of the turn decides which of the player's creatures attack, and how those creatures assign their combat damage. Example: The controller of the turn decides which card the player chooses from outside the game with one of the Judgment Wishes. The player can't choose a card of the wrong type.

507.3a The controller of another player's turn can use only that player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player. Example: If the controller of the turn decides that the player will play a spell with an additional cost of discarding cards from hand, the cards are discarded from the player's hand.

507.3b The controller of another player's turn can't make that player concede. A player may concede the game at any time, even if his or her turn is controlled by another player. See rule 102.7.

507.3c The controller of another player's turn can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the rules, or by any objects. The controller also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules. Example: The player whose turn it is still chooses whether he or she leaves to visit the restroom, trades a card to someone else, takes an intentional draw, or calls a judge about an error or infraction.

507.3d A player who controls another player's turn also continues to make his or her own choices and decisions.

507.4. A player doesn't lose life due to mana burn while another player controls his or her turn. (Unused mana in players' mana pools is still lost when a phase ends. See rule 300.3.)

Mindstorm Crown3 Artifact At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you had no cards in hand at the beginning of this turn. If you had a card in hand, Mindstorm Crown deals 1 damage to you.

Mindstorm Crown's ability doesn't have an "intervening 'if' clause." It always goes onto the stack at the start of your upkeep.

Mindstorm Crown cares about the number of cards in your hand at the time the turn started, not as the ability resolves. So if you have more than one Crown in play and no cards in your hand at the start of the turn, you draw a card for each Crown.

There's no way to lose while you control Platinum Angel. You can be at any life total, draw any number of cards, have any number of poison counters, or have any number of Nefarious Liches leave play.

Effects that say the game is a draw still work.

In multiplayer games, your teammates can lose, but your opponents can't win using cards such as the Odyssey set's Battle of Wits.

You can concede a game while Platinum Angel in play. A concession causes you to leave the game, which then causes you to lose the game. (Once you concede, you no longer control a Platinum Angel, so its ability can't prevent you from losing the game.)

In DCI-sanctioned, single-elimination play, you can lose a game if the "highest life total" rule needs to be used to determine the winner of an unfinished game. Platinum Angel only prevents losing as part of the game, not due to parts of the DCI tournament rules. (See the Magic: The Gathering DCI Floor Rules for more information.)

Promise of Power2BBB Sorcery Choose one -- You draw five cards and you lose 5 life; or put a black Demon creature token with flying into play with power and toughness each equal to the number of cards in your hand as the token comes into play. Entwine 4 (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

The power and toughness of the Demon token are set when Promise of Power resolves. They're unaffected if the number of cards in your hand changes later.

If you pay the entwine cost, you draw five cards, then lose five life, then put the Demon token into play. The five cards you draw count toward the Demon's power and toughness.

Quicksilver Elemental3UU Creature -- Elemental 3/4U: Quicksilver Elemental gains all activated abilities of target creature until end of turn. (If any of the abilities use that creature's name, use this creature's name instead.) You may spend blue mana as though it were mana of any color to pay the activation costs of Quicksilver Elemental's abilities.

Quicksilver Elemental can gain the activated abilities of any creature in play that you can target with its ability, even if you don't control that creature.

The granted abilities effectively use "this permanent," rather than "*that card's name*," so you treat the abilities as if they were printed on Quicksilver Elemental. For example, you treat an ability that says "Sacrifice a creature: Nantuko Husk gets +2/+2 until end of turn" as "Sacrifice a creature: Quicksilver Elemental gets +2/+2 until end of turn."

Quicksilver Fountain3 Artifact At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player puts a flood counter on target non-Island land he or she controls. That land is an Island as long as it has a flood counter on it. At end of turn, if all lands in play are Islands, remove all flood counters from them.

The land stays an Island until the flood counter is removed, even if Quicksilver Fountain leaves play.

The timestamp of the land-type-changing ability is set when the triggered ability resolves (so each one has a different timestamp).

Rust Elemental4 Artifact Creature -- Elemental 4/4 Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice an artifact other than Rust Elemental. If you can't, tap Rust Elemental and you lose 4 life.

Sacrificing an artifact isn't optional. If you control an artifact other than Rust Elemental, you must sacrifice it. Otherwise, you must tap Rust Elemental and lose 4 life.

Scythe of the Wretched2 Artifact -- Equipment Equipped creature gets +2/+2. Whenever a creature dealt damage by equipped creature this turn is put into a graveyard, return that card to play under your control. Attach Scythe of the Wretched to that creature. Equip 4

The Scythe's ability triggers even if something other than the damage dealt by the equipped creature causes the creature to be put into a graveyard that turn.

Scythe of the Wretched needs to equip your creature when the other creature goes to the graveyard for the ability to trigger, but it doesn't matter whether the Scythe equipped your creature when the damage was actually dealt.

If the card isn't a creature when it comes back into play, then Scythe of the Wretched won't move onto it.

Shared Fate4U Enchantment If a player would draw a card, that player removes the top card of an opponent's library from the game face down instead. Each player may look at and play cards he or she removed from the game with Shared Fate as though they were in his or her hand.

You need to pay the costs of any cards you play from the removed-from-game zone. This could be a problem if you don't have the right colors of mana available.

Replacing your draws isn't optional. You can't draw cards from your own library, even if all your opponents' libraries are empty.

If more than one Shared Fate is in play, you choose which one replaces each card draw, but you can replace a draw only once.

The cards are removed from the game, not put into players' hands. Players can look at and play the removed cards, but can't do anything else with them (the removed cards can't be discarded or cycled, for example).

Soul Foundry4 Artifact Imprint -- When Soul Foundry comes into play, you may remove a creature card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.)X, T: Put a creature token into play that's a copy of the imprinted creature card. X is the converted mana cost of that card.

Soul Foundry puts a token copy of the imprinted card into play. The token is put into play, not played.

The token is an exact copy in every way, except that it's a token, not a card.

Most creature tokens have mana cost and converted mana cost 0, but a creature token put into play by Soul Foundry has the same mana cost and converted mana cost as the card it copies.

Spellweaver Helix3 Artifact Imprint -- When Spellweaver Helix comes into play, you may remove two target sorcery cards in a single graveyard from the game. (The removed cards are imprinted on this artifact.) Whenever a card is played, if it has the same name as one of the imprinted sorcery cards, you may copy the other and play the copy without paying its mana cost.

If there's only one imprinted sorcery card, nothing happens.

If the two imprinted sorcery cards have the same name and a card with that name is played, only one copy is created, not two.

Spellweaver Helix's second ability creates a copy of the imprinted card in the removed-from-game zone (that's where the imprinted sorcery card is), then allows you to play it without paying its mana cost.

You play the copy while this ability is resolving, and still on the stack. Normally, you're not allowed to play spells and abilities at this time. Spellweaver Helix's ability breaks this rule. (The card that triggered this ability is also still on the stack.)

You don't pay the spell's mana cost. If a spell has X in its mana cost, X is 0. You do pay any additional costs for that spell. You can't use any alternative costs.

A split-card spell's name is only half the card's name, so Spellweaver Helix never triggers when a split card is played.

You can't play the copy if an effect prevents you from playing sorceries or from playing that particular sorcery.

You can't play the copy unless all of its targets can be chosen.

If you don't want to play the copy, you can choose not to; the copy ceases to exist the next time state-based effects are checked.

Tel-Jilad Stylus1 ArtifactT: Put target permanent you own on the bottom of your library.

Tel-Jilad Stylus's ability may target a permanent you own but do not control.

Tel-Jilad Stylus's ability can put tokens on the bottom of your library (where they then cease to exist).

You own all cards that started the game in your deck, and all cards that you "Wished" into the game (with one of the Judgment Wish cards or Ring of Maruf). You also own all tokens created by spells and abilities you control.

Thirst for Knowledge2U Instant Draw three cards. Then discard two cards from your hand unless you discard an artifact card from your hand.

You can discard either one artifact card or two cards which may or may not be artifacts. (If you really want to, you can discard two artifact cards.)

Thought Prison5 Artifact Imprint -- When Thought Prison comes into play, you may have target player reveal his or her hand. If you do, choose a nonland card from it and remove that card from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) Whenever a player plays a spell that shares a color or converted mana cost with the imprinted card, Thought Prison deals 2 damage to that player.

The second ability triggers only once per spell. If the spell shares both a color and a converted mana cost with the imprinted card, Thought Prison deals 2 damage, not 4.

Timesifter5 Artifact At the beginning of each player's upkeep, each player removes the top card of his or her library from the game. The player who removed the card with the highest converted mana cost takes an extra turn after this one. If two or more players' cards are tied for highest cost, the tied players repeat this process until the tie is broken.

Each player must remove the top card of his or her library from the game at the start of each upkeep step.

Each time there's a tie for the highest cost, only the players involved in the tie continue.

If a player fails to remove a card from the game, he or she can't take the extra turn.

If multiple extra turns are created in a game, the most recently created extra turn is taken first.

Remember which player would have taken the next turn if Timesifter's ability hadn't triggered the first time. After Timesifter leaves play and all extra turns have been taken, that player takes the next turn.

If two or more Timesifters are in play, keep a careful record of which players get which extra turns. With two Timesifters in play, two extra turns are created for each turn taken.